America News Agency

UK Foreign Secretary Cooper said that the people of Gaza cannot wait any longer. Noting that more than one million civilians need shelter, Cooper said: “The amount of aid has increased, but it is still far below what is needed.”

Cooper stated that the United Kingdom, together with nine other countries, published a statement today on the actions required to end this winter’s humanitarian crisis.

The joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom said:

“We are seriously concerned about the renewed deterioration and catastrophic scale of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. As winter approaches, civilians in Gaza are facing horrific conditions with heavy rain and falling temperatures. 1.3 million people still urgently need shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and are suffering from shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The complete collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to the risk of toxic flooding.”

The statement added: “We call on the Government of Israel to lift these restrictions on humanitarian access and to implement and uphold the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. This is essential for an effective humanitarian response, successful recovery and reconstruction, and lasting peace and stability.”